


I'll Be Home For Christmas

by lookingfortherainbow



Series: Advent Calendar Fics of 2020 [15]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anxious Zayn Malik, Canon Compliant, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Emotional Hurt, Established Relationship, Established Zayn Malik/Liam Payne, Flirting, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, Present Tense, Separation Anxiety, Supportive Liam Payne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28151631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookingfortherainbow/pseuds/lookingfortherainbow
Summary: At three, he got a mysterious text from Zayn.'Got you a big gift. It’ll be on your doorstep in about thirty minutes. Be prepared xxxx'“Oh, he’s got the smile on,” his mum cooed to his dad. Turning to Liam she said, “Okay, what did Zayn say? Fill us in?” His mum requested, as she paused the baking show they were watching.“He said a package will be here soon, and to be prepared,” Liam replied.*Or, Liam and Zayn support each other while having to be apart during the holidays. Until they no longer have to.
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Series: Advent Calendar Fics of 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037256
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	I'll Be Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for not posting yesterday, I was tired and woke up late, leaving me no time to write before work. Anyway, enjoy this bittersweet fluff.

“I wish you could just have these meetings and negotiations here, online. Over zoom or something,” Liam sighed into the receiver of his cell. 

He knew he was sounding selfish, but he couldn’t help it. Christmas was next week, and here Liam was, making video after endless video--filming tik toks, youtube vlogs and collabs, and live performances. And yet, as much as he should be feeling proud of all the content he was constantly churning out, he felt joy ebb out of him with each day that passed. Because Zayn was all the way in New York, working out plans for his upcoming album. Liam was beyond proud of him, but it was the fact that he had to be away from home for so long--two weeks now--that put a damper on things.

His husband sighed right back on the other end. It sounded bone-deep, and Liam resisted the urge to crush his phone into tiny bits, the distance between Zayn and his own arms, where he belonged, making his whole chest ache painfully. It didn’t help that Zayn’s team had pushed another photo of him and Gigi being published by Yolanda, of all people. He  _ would _ try to stay away from social media, so as not to feel the extra weight when he saw how fans reacted so enthusiastically to the posed picture, but social media was pretty much all he was supposed to be on as of late. 

“I know, Jaan. I keep telling them I need to go home so we can at least spend some time together before Christmas day, but--”

“I know, baby, I know. You don’t have to explain,” Liam stopped him. 

He didn’t want to spend their precious time to talk on discussing their management. It always put both of them in a significantly worse mood. 

Watching the snow fall outside the window, the sky already black at five in the evening, Liam pulled a couch pillow to his chest. “How’re the songs coming?”

He could hear Zayn rustling in his hotel bed, imagining him cozy under the blankets. It only made his aching worse. 

“Really good. We’ve finished almost all the song naming. Yesterday, we started talking about the album cover, ideas for the photo shoot for it, the vision for it. . .” Zayn trailed off.

He sounded a little happier talking about his music, and Liam ran with it. The last thing he wanted to do was make Zayn more miserable. 

“That’s really good, babe. The email you sent me yesterday before your meeting gave me the best visuals. Love how you can describe to me so well what you’re envisioning.”

The mischievous tone in Zayn’s chuckle wasn’t lost on Liam. “Oh, yeah? So, you liked my idea of having an emphasis on my tattoos?”

“Yeah, can’t wait to frame the actual photos and put them up in our studio,” Liam dreamed out loud.

“Where are you going to put them? You already have so many shots from my other albums hanging there?”

Liam had to laugh with him. “We’ll find room. Always do. I  _ could _ always put them in our bedroom, but you’re too modest for that.”

“I do  _ not _ want to look at my own photo shoot pictures first thing when I wake up, Liam. Much less when we’re having sex.”

“Funny how that modesty just disappeared when I purchased the mirror for above our bed,” Liam teased, and he revelled in the exasperated groan that floated through the phone. 

“Don’t start me on that train of thought. I have to get up in a few minutes for a walk, and I don’t want to be papped with a stiffy.”

“Well, I don’t want to keep staring at the tree and thinking about how we haven’t had sex by it yet, but here I am, so tough.”

“You think of the weirdest places to have sex,” Zayn commented. Liam just knew he was shaking his head on his pillow. He could hear the fond amusement in his voice. 

“And you’re obsessed with it.”

“I’m obsessed with  _ you,” _ Zayn murmured, sounding tired and a little too dazed in love for someone who had been with their partner for eight years.

“I’m so in love with you,” Liam said, trying to stop tears from forming in his eyes, the colorful tree lights becoming a blur in his vision. 

It may seem silly to some, but Liam needed to say things like that every now and then. Just because he could. Because Zayn was his, no matter what the general public thought, no matter what pictures were manipulated and posted online, no matter what lines his manager fed him. Nothing would change that Liam was deeply in love with him, and Zayn returned the feeling wholeheartedly. 

“When I get home I’m going to show you how much I’m in love with you, too,” Zayn promised. 

“Well, get here fast, ‘cause that mirror is mocking me at this point,” Liam joked as a tear slipped from his eye. 

Zayn laughed, and the sound covered up Liam’s loud sniffle. 

*

It was Monday when Liam received the news that Zayn was going to have to be in New York for Christmas Eve. Maybe even for Christmas day. 

Zayn was freaking out a little, even though he’d already smoked twice and it wasn’t even noon in New York, yet. 

“I kept fucking telling them that the deal was, I’d be here for a couple weeks, do some meetings, and then I’d get back home in time to spend the week of Christmas with you. How can they just fuck up my holiday plans like this. They always fuck us over like this, Li. Always.”

“Hey, Zayn, you need to breathe, babe,” Liam instructed him, listening to Zayn’s uneven, stuttering breaths, the hiccups that were stifled sobs over the phone. “I want you to drink some water right now, okay? You’ve smoked a lot and I’m sure you’re dehydrated by now.”

He listened to Zayn’s stuttered mumbling, heard him gulp water down. Liam hit the facetime button. Immediately, Zayn’s face showed up on his screen, clear and blotchy with tears. His eyes were rimmed red from smoking and crying and the hazel of his irises stood out against the bloodshot veins in a way that made Liam’s heart break. 

“Oh, my baby.”

He let Zayn cry as much as he wanted, the fact that Zayn needed his comfort being enough to get him to hold back his own tears. Sitting at his desk where he’d finished filming a youtube video a few minutes before their call started, he felt incredibly powerless. 

“We’re not going to let this get us down, okay?”

“How can we not?” Zayn asked, still sniffling. 

“Because Christmas is just another day in the year. It’s important to us because we give it meaning. We set aside time for each other on it. The actual date isn’t what’s most important. It’s us that is. So, we’ll be giving each other presents on a different day than everyone else,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, “that doesn’t make the day that we’ll reschedule to any less special.”

Zayn was looking at him, unconvinced. 

“When have we ever done things by the book, anyway, Z?”

That got a watery laugh to slip from Zayn’s lips, and Liam felt the overwhelming urge to kiss him senseless. 

*

On the morning of Christmas eve, Liam sent a good morning text to his husband as always. He knew he wouldn’t get a reply until about four hours later, time difference being the bitch that it was, but it made him feel better knowing Zayn had that to wake up to. 

It was a cloudy day, making things seem even drearier than they already were. Liam’s parents came over, and he made lunch with them. Even though his whole body ached while he did it, he answered his mum’s millions of questions about Zayn’s new album, about what he was doing, how New York was treating him. Geoff commented here and there, interested, too, proud smile on his face as he observed Liam’s lovesick expressions. It felt so good to be able to talk to his family about the person he loved, knowing they loved Zayn almost as much as Liam did. He found his mood improved a bit as the day wore on. At three, he got a mysterious text from Zayn. 

_ Got you a big gift. It’ll be on your doorstep in about thirty minutes. Be prepared xxxx _

“Oh, he’s got the smile on,” his mum cooed to his dad. Turning to Liam she said, “Okay, what did Zayn say? Fill us in?” His mum requested, as she paused the baking show they were watching. 

“He said a package will be here soon, and to be prepared,” Liam replied. 

“Oh, you boys. Always so romantic with your gestures. So sweet,” his mum went on, clasping her hands. 

Liam grinned at her, because, yeah. They never really stopped existing in their honeymoon phase. 

“Why’s he have to be so cryptic?” Liam huffed, feeling his cheeks blush because he knew his smile was giving away how much he loved it all. 

He was giddy for the remaining thirty minutes, wondering why Zayn wasn’t replying to any of his excited texts or calls. He didn’t think his meetings would run this long, but he never knew what to expect from his team. 

The fireplace was crackling away as he played chess with his dad, his mum on speakerphone with Ruth, all of them joining in the conversation. He sunk into the couch to take in the sight of his dad’s victory dance as he declared ‘checkmate’, loving how his parents looked, warm and happy against the backdrop of his and Zayn’s merrily decorated boughs. 

Before Zayn left for New York, they had decorated their mansion together. Boughs that sparkled with artificial snow and little jingle bells adorned every archway, little yellow lights shone steady where they curled around banisters and pillars, lighting up the house even when they were in bed, and the christmas tree glowed with it’s growing number of presents nestled beneath it. Liam often looked at the ornaments that held pictures of him and Zayn together through the years. It helped him get through the loneliness of being apart and reminded him they’d been through much worse--that he could be strong for Zayn, and they’d both survive it. 

When the doorbell rang, Liam jumped up from the couch so fast he tripped. 

“That’s got to be the gift!” Liam shouted, slipping through the shiny halls of the mansion, socked feet sliding on dark mahogany floors. 

In his haste, he slammed into the front door, before managing to fling it open. 

His mum’s concerned reminders to be careful faded away into silence as he stood, now rendered completely breathless. The sight before him was better than any gift he could’ve written on a wish list. 

“Oh my god, how did you--”

In seconds, Zayn pounced on him, slamming his body into Liam’s strong arms that readily, on instinct, caught him. 

“Jaan,” he cried into Liam’s neck, voice hoarse with emotion. 

Liam cupped the tender back of his neck, feeling the bristles of his bleached undercut prickle his skin. Grounding himself in it, it made him realize he wasn’t dreaming. The realization was a shock to his system and he slipped on his socks, bringing Zayn down to the floor with him. They were slumped against the entryway wall, tangled up like they were meant to be. Liam began pressing frantic, passionate kisses to Zayn’s neck. 

“C’mere, you, I need. . .” Liam trailed off, pulling back to grab his chin and press his lips to Zayn’s. 

Because he needed, he needed, and Zayn knew exactly what. 

They kissed with twitches of smiles pressed together, tears wetting cheeks. A sense of home returned to the house they were in, and Liam felt a primal part inside of himself curl up and go to sleep where once it was stalking, restless and in anguish. 

Just as Liam licked into his lover’s mouth, causing Zayn to press against him in a more insistent way than before, clutching at his sweater desperately, Liam’s parents found them sprawled together. 

“Surprise,” Zayn sang, happy to stay where Liam wasn’t letting him get up off the floor, chained to him. 

His parents were elated at the sight. 

“Liam, oh my god, let him go. He won’t disappear,” Karen laughed, exasperated at her son’s clingy behavior. 

“I don’t know. After being apart from you for so long, I think I’ll have to cuff you to something here. Just to be sure you won’t float away,” Liam whispered to him, well aware his parents couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“I was hoping you’d say that. Spent a lot of my time away thinking about it actually.”

“Mm, naughty,” Liam growled, biting at his ear lobe. 

“Boys, please. We’d like to be in on the conversation, too,” Karen scolded. 

Suddenly, Liam remembered they had his parents to entertain, and he pulled back from Zayn, but not before giving him another kiss on his neck.

“I don’t think she does,” he whispered to him, and Zayn laughed loudly. 

Once they’d gathered in the living room, hands around mugs of heated, spiked eggnog, limbs warmed by the fire, Zayn explained his sudden arrival. He’d spent extra long hours working with his marketing team, forcing them to agree to working overtime so they could plow through the finishing touches and decisions on his new album. They’d worked so hard, he’d had enough time to book a plane ticket on short notice. It was done spur of the moment, in a way, and Liam knew how exhausted Zayn must be from endless meetings, and the plane traveling. 

Later in the evening, Zayn gave him a tired smile, snuggling deeper into the cocoon Liam had made around him. It consisted of three blankets, his own two arms, and the invisible shield of love he imagined around Zayn all the time. Liam’s parents were in the kitchen, deciding on what to cook with Zayn and Liam tomorrow for their Christmas dinner. 

“You can fall asleep, you know. I’m not going anywhere,” Liam laughed at Zayn’s drooping eyes. 

“Don’t wanna waste a second with you on sleep,” Zayn argued. 

“Take the wise words of Clarice the faun,” Liam pointed to the classic Rudolph movie that was playing softly on their flat screen, “‘There’s always tomorrow’.”

“Mm, so true. And I have big plans for you, me,  _ and _ the mirror tomorrow.”

“Can’t believe you never get too tired to be horny,” Liam teased, brushing his fingers through the cropped hair on his head, massaging. 

Zayn rubbed his face into Liam’s chest, smiling so big Liam could feel it through his layers. “Can’t help it when I have a husband this sexy.”

“I knew it. Using me for my body all along.”

“Actually, I’m using you for this beautiful house I get to live in,” Zayn joked, peeking up from his chest to look around at the warmth of their decorated home. “It’s so perfect, Liam. Love our place so much,” he said, earnestly. 

Liam cupped his cheek, kissing him on the forehead, then nose, then lips. “It is perfect. Now that you’re home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to anyone who's read the fics, commented, left kudos. Really motivates me more than you know. <3 If you'd like to reblog the little fic post I made for this series, [click here](https://andtheywerebandmates.tumblr.com/post/636606796721717248/its-december-and-i-wanted-to-do-something)


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